Book Four: Futures
by neepuh
Summary: It has been 5 years since Firelord Ozai has been defeated. The four-nations are still war-torn, and being the avatar is harder than ever. Enter a whole new era of adventure. Zutara. Please review!
1. Chapter 1

_Futures – It has been 5 years since Ozai has been defeated. The four-nations are war-torn and being the Avatar is harder than ever. What does the future hold? Zutara._

_Hey everyone, neepuh here! So, this is my first fanfiction ever. When ATLA ended, I needed to find a way to cope! So here it is, in the flesh, my attempt at creating a worthy-follow up of the storyline. I am open to both praise and constructive criticism. Please review._

_I do not own any of the characters, they are ©Nickelodeon_

**Ch 1 - The Visit**

Firelord Zuko gazed around his palace room. The tall windows filtered in sunshine that sprinkled the red room and gave it an atmosphere that was cozy and warm. Mai still slept, breathing lightly from the bed. He leaned himself out the window and allowed himself to take in the sights and sounds of the Fire Nation. The smell of spices, intense heat, and loud laughter wafted up to his senses as he smiled.

It had been 5 years since Ozai had been defeated.

Zuko turned back into the room, and as he so often did, wondered about the world from behind Fire Nation walls. His mind drifted to all the places he had been, all the people he had met. From the slums of Ba Sing Se to the Western Air Temple, his thoughts slipped and he reminisced –

"Zuko."

Zuko came to with a start as he noticed his Uncle standing firm in the doorway. He glanced quickly at Mai and pushed his finger to his lips as he ushered him and his uncle out into the hall. When the door clicked behind him, he turned towards the dear old man whom he owed his life to.

"Uncle, what is it? Is everything alright?"  
"Yes, Zuko. Don't worry yourself so much." He replied with a slight smile. "Life is meant to be enjoyed. I just came to say you have visitors."  
Zuko perked up immediately. He loved hearing of outside news. "Who is it?"  
"You'll find out soon enough-"Iroh said, as Zuko was already on his way down the stairs and towards the main throne room.

* * *

Katara and Sokka still never got quite used to seeing Zuko walk towards them with a large smile on his face. His scar was hardly noticeable beneath the gleam of the golden flame encasing the black royal knot upon his head. He was wrapped luxuriously in a plethora of red and orange silk brocades, and on his fingers gold and ruby rings danced in the light. But above all, Fire-lord Zuko acted different. His attitude had become that of a generous leader, a friendly and responsible spirit. The anger and rage was gone.

"My beloved friends" he began, while stepping down the stairs. "To what do I owe this pleasure? I am so glad you have come. It has been far too long. Please, tell me you are going to stay. We shall have a feast! You can stay in my palace!"

"A feast- eh? As long as it isn't all fire-nation food!" Sokka said endearingly, and then embraced Zuko in a tight hug. Katara followed.  
"Firelord Zuko, it's so great to see you!" She said, a wide smile on her tanned face.  
"Please, no Firelord. It's just Zuko to you guys." He said, smiling back at both of them.  
"Yes, old friends need not worry about formalities." Came a familiar voice from behind them – Katara and Sokka wheeled around and dotingly said in unison -  
"Iroh!"  
"Yes, and I brought some tea!" Iroh smiled and lifted the tray of steaming cups into view.

* * *

Zuko wouldn't show it, but he eyed his visitors in envy. Both Katara and Sokka were wearing traveler's clothes, and they both looked worn down and dirty. He knew he had the whole night to make merry and get their stories out of them, for he could tell by the looks on their faces that they weren't there to just visit. They had something to tell him, and they came a long way to do it.  
5 years really changed all of them. Sokka sprouted like a fire-nation cactus, he now towered over Katara and was even a bit taller than Zuko. His hair was longer and tied back, and a slight beard adorned his face. He still wore similar clothes, and both his "space-sword" and boomerang were clipped to his back. Zuko smiled as Sokka made a smart-ass comment and Katara bended her tea in a water-whip at his butt, then leaned back and laughed as Sokka yelped while he rubbed the sore-spot lovingly.  
Katara still was the same height, and was now shorter than all of them. Zuko noted that she looked particularly worn out. She was still very fit and lean, even more so than she was back in the day. And her thick, dark hair was longer than ever, and wound tightly into two thick braids. She was adorned in the similar clothing she always had, a blue water-tribe robe and of course, glittering at her throat, her mother's necklace. Zuko felt a pang of guilt and looked away quickly.

* * *

They were all seated in a large, regal hall with gold and red tapestries dripping from the tall ceilings. The table they were seated at was longer than any Katara or Sokka had ever seen, and it stretched from one end of the room to another and had countless chairs with velvet cushions. When they spoke the words echoed off the polished walls.  
"It's a bit strange to be sitting at the table Ozai used to eat his feasts at while contemplating the ways to kill us." Sokka said with a small smirk on his lips. A laugh involuntarily escaped every ones mouth.  
"Perhaps it wouldn't be so awkward if you visited me more frequently." Zuko retorted with a smile. A servant waddled in then, and Zuko waved them off reminding them to take Katara and Sokka's luggage. "You know the two rooms – the best guest suites in the palace." He added.  
"Firelo- I mean, Zuko… we really shouldn't be staying that long.."Katara said suddenly, as if she felt they were imposing upon him.  
"You two are always welcome here." Iroh said warmly, before taking another sip of tea.  
"Exactly, and I want to keep you guys as long as I can. But that really reminds me… why _are_ you two here?"  
Suddenly the smiles dimmed and a somber silence filled the room instead.


	2. Chapter 2

_"The pain of war cannot exceed the woe of aftermath" - Led Zeppelin "The Battle of Evermore"_

_Characters are (c) to Nickelodeon_

**Ch2 The Message**

When Mai woke up, she called in a servant to demand the whereabouts of her lover.  
"Fire lord Zuko has visitors; they are currently enjoying tea in the main dining room. Would you like me to dress you and announce your presence?"  
Mai sighed.  
"Oh great, another group of his old buddies to remind him of how _great_ the old times were. No, I don't think I'll intrude. I'll do what I always do and stay out of his way while he becomes all nostalgic and what have you." She pouted and lay back down upon the feathered mattress. Lately, more than ever, she noticed a far-away look in Zuko's eyes. She knew when this happened he was remembering the past. She bit her lip. They fought a lot, recently. She clutched a pillow and with a sudden pang of sorrow remembered their most recent fight.

*****flashback*** 3 days ago.**

"Zuko, what is WRONG with you? You don't even act like you love me anymore!"  
Mai, on the verge of tears, continued to scream, "I can't change what I did in the past Zuko! I'm so sorry I wasn't there to help you beat Azula! I don't even know if I would have had the power to hurt her anyways! She was my friend, Zuko! _What do you want me to do about something I can't change?_"  
Zuko screamed back "I have forgiven you A THOUSAND TIMES, Mai! You haven't forgiven _yourself_! Are you even listening to a word I'm saying? You're the one who needs to let this go!" and just as suddenly as it started, it ended, with Zuko wearily holding her as she cried.

*****end flashback*****

He was right, too, and she knew it. All this time, when she looked down the halls of the palace, when she laid by Zuko, all she could think about was when she had walked through these halls before, following Azula and aiding in her plans to kill the avatar. While she had Azula's fake smiles and fake friendship, Zuko was off bonding with the whole group of people she despised so passionately. Jealousy and bitterness plagued her. And the thing that bothered her most of the most, is when she asked about them, she got a warmer smile then she had ever gotten out of him just on her own. "All I am to him is a bad taste of the bad choices he made in the past." She thought, gloomingly.

* * *

"The avatar is gone." Sokka was the one to say it, his eyes downcast. "He left – poof, zap, bap. Gone with the wind."

* * *

Both Zuko and Iroh set their tea down with a clatter.  
"_What?_" They asked in unison.  
Katara piped up next, her voice was heavy. "It's true. It has been a month, since he has been gone…" She touched her necklace and looked up at both Zuko and Iroh. "We don't know where he is."

The rest of the night passed with a lot less grandeur and happiness than Zuko would have hoped. It was fun, but the news Katara and Sokka brought hung over the merry-making like a canopy. Dinner was a delicious feast and Mai was at his side, and they both laughed while Zuko and Katara scrunched their noses at the plates of Fire-Nation food that were being served to them.

"You guys don't have sea-prune stew?" Sokka asked with obvious disappointment.

* * *

After dinner, some music was played by Uncle and his group, and Zuko slapped his hand to his face on several occasions because Iroh continually tried to get him down to play the Tsungi horn. Even Mai joined in. She looked to Katara, who was on her right.  
"He actually is very good at it!"Mai exclaimed, and Katara laughed, suddenly imagining Zuko playing a Tsungi horn on his ship the nights he used to chase the avatar.  
After music, there were Ocean Kumquats, and purple berries (much to Sokka's annoyance and Katara's amusement) passed around in large elaborate bowls, and soon after, it was dark and everyone was tired and full from the day's events. The group bid each other good night and went to their rooms.

* * *

"Katara! Do you _see_ these rooms?" Sokka said in his super amazed and excited voice. Katara giggled and peered in. The rooms were huge, with thick soft rugs and large 4-poster beds. Hers had a large golden canopy and Sokka's had carved wooden walls.  
"Wow…"  
"No kiddin'. How come Ozai was such a jerk when he had so much?" Sokka wondered, while crossing his arms. Soon after they hugged each other goodnight and retired to their rooms.  
Katara lay on her unbelievably comfortable bed, but she knew sleep wouldn't come. It hadn't come easily in a long time. She turned over again and again, then finally stood up and decided she needed fresh air.

* * *

"Fire lord Zuko, your guest is wandering through the halls. Should we escort her back to her room?"  
Zuko shifted and woke up, and sleepily stared at the servant who was doing the waking.  
"Wha-… Oh… It's probably Katara. She's fine, we can trust her. "  
The servant merely nodded, and was about to turn and leave when Zuko stopped him.  
"Yes, Fire lord? Do you need anything else?"  
"Where is she right now?" Zuko asked, as he got up and slipped into his night robes.

* * *

Zuko found Katara on the 3rd floor patio, the one that extended all the way around the palace. He watched her a moment, bent over the railing with downcast eyes and bathed in moonlight. He opened the sliding panel and walked out.

"Katara."

Katara jumped, and turned around quickly. "Oh, Zuko… It's just you, I'm sorry... I just..."  
He walked over and stood next to her, laid his elbows on the railing, and looked out over the horizon.  
"I know there is more to the story… about Aang." He said, looking over at her. "What happened?"  
Katara released a heavy sigh, as if suddenly a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders.  
"A lot has happened in these 5 years, Zuko."  
He remained silent and waited for her to continue.  
"Aang thought restoring peace would be easy after he defeated your father, Zuko. I thought so, too. We all did. The future was full of hope." She paused for a second, as if remembering something. "The hardest part of restoring peace and prosperity only _just_ started with the defeat of your father…" She paused again, beginning a new trail of thought. "Aang…. He has a history of running from things. But this time, I cannot blame him… After we left 5 years ago for you to rule here, for Sokka and Toph to return home… Aang and I traveled together, all around the 4 nations, restoring peace and blessing cities, doing anything that had to be done…." She stopped and clutched the railing on the patio until her knuckles turned white. "But the _**hate**_…"  
Zuko looked at her with a sudden confusion. "I don't understand."  
Katara suddenly reeled on him, her eyes as icy and full of tears the day they were that day under Ba Sing Se. "You don't understand? Do you remember? The day you took me to find the man who killed my mother?" At this point, she grabbed his wrist, and her touch was ice. Zuko flinched and took a few steps back. Her hair was loose, wild, and untamed, running down her back, like the day he asked for her forgiveness at the Western Air Temple and was greeted with her powerful bending. "You don't remember my fury under Ba Sing Se? All the anger in the world, all the hate I had for you and your people?" She let go of his wrist and her arms fell to her sides limply. "That hate is multiplied. It is multiplied in the smallest of towns in the Earth Kingdom, it is in Ba Sing Se, Omashu, The North Pole, even in the South Pole…" She turned and looked at him with tears streaming down her face. "The young children cry in their sleep." Her voice turned raspy. "They CURSE the day the Fire Nation came to be. The whole world does. Even under your power, even with Ozai defeated. Even half of your own people hate you, poisoned by their politics and wanting to reclaim honor for the Fire Nation with a new ruler. Those who feel bad try and reach out for forgiveness by the other nations only receive a slap in the face. Too many people have been hurt, too many people will never forget." She moved close to him and placed her hand, now warm, on his shoulder. "Too many people will never _forgive_."  
Zuko, shocked by all he had heard, and moved by all the passion in her words, clutched her hand and looked into her blue eyes with his golden ones.  
"You learned to do it Katara, the world can too. We have to wait for Aang." Katara let go of his shoulder.  
"If he ever comes back." And with that, she turned and headed back inside without looking back. Zuko watched her go with a new hole in his heart.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey everyone! Thanks for sticking with me these first couple of chapters. I am trying very hard to make this a realistic account of what would happen 5 years after the end of season 3, and I would love to hear feedback! I am taking my time, and going very slow. But! I should have updates for you guys every couple of days. I have some very fun and exciting action coming up, and I will continue using flashbacks. And don't worry, the zutara relationship that should have been will happen. __ Thanks everyone! Please review._

_Characters are © Nickelodeon_

**Ch3 The Wait**

Katara curled up in the bed as she remembered the last time she saw Aang.

*****FLASHBACK***** 1 month ago.

They were in a small Earth Kingdom town close to the sea. Aang stood before her, now taller than her, even though he was still 2 years younger. She was 21 now, and he was 19. His arms were thick with muscles and the blue arrows ran down them and down his back into his yellow monk robes. She stood behind him protectively as they watched two men have a particularly nasty brawl.

"Men, what is it you fight over?" boomed his now deep voice. "I am the avatar, and I will be able to help settle your differences." With that, he swung his staff down and propelled himself down towards the men with air bending.  
The crowd who had gathered to watch the fight pulled back with wide eyes and the two men hardly glanced up before continuing to fight. Katara noticed with sadness that one was an older fire nation man and the other a younger earth bender.  
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR COUNTRY HAS DONE?" spit the earth bender, hurling a large rock towards the man.  
The old man, who had no bending, just barely got out of the way and tumbled to the ground. "Young man, I am sorry for your suffering, but I am not my country, I came here for a new life-"  
"SHUT UP, JUST SHUT YOUR MOUTH… YOUR PEOPLE KILLED MY WIFE BEFORE MY VERY EYES" and with that, earth began to rise up all around town and gasps came from the onlookers. "I am going to make the world right again…"  
"_**ENOUGH**_" came Aang's voice and a powerful gust of air pushed the earth bender back onto the ground. Aang landed before him with anger in his eyes. "I have tried to settled so many of these battles. The war is _over_. Nonviolence and forgiveness is your only path to healing, creating more hurt will only-" but the entire time Aang was talking, the earth bender still had his eyes on the fire bender, and while Aang was facing towards him talking, he sent a large, encasing wall of rock towards the man. Katara gasped, but before she had time to throw the old man out of the way, it wrapped around him and crushed the breath out of him, and she fell to her knees as he hung limply from the rocks.  
Aang turned immediately and his eyes widened. Katara almost thought for a moment he would enter the avatar state, but he remained composed as he wheeled back around on the earthbender. Katara immediately jumped up and ran after him and held him back.  
"Aang, don't… don't hurt him, you know you don't believe in that." Katara felt Aang tense underneath her. Aang knew Katara was right. He brushed her off, and the air began to feel dense and thick. The earth bender smiled, he was mangled by his hurt and in his madness lay laughing on the ground as Aang turned on the town.

"_What is wrong with you people?_" He called to everyone with extreme passion. "The fire-nation mass-murdered my entire _**race**_ of people. And still, Firelord Zuko is one of my best friends." Tears began to well up in his eyes. Katara tried to embrace him but he threw her off and looked at her as if he couldn't understand her, either. "Even you, Katara. Even after you flew to find the man who killed your mother, you still harbored hate in your soul, it still lives within your spirit to this day." Katara stared open-mouthed at him as her heart broke into millions of pieces. With a flash of fire and air, he was gone, and Katara hung her head and cried, knowing he had run away again.

Katara recalled then, going back her and Aang's camp, finding it empty. Appa and Momo were gone, too. She remembered curling up in her sleeping bag and tried to figure out what she was going to do, finally resolving to travel on foot and boat to Kyoshi Island to visit Sokka and Suki.

*****END FLASHBACK*****

Katara buried her face in her pillow and willed sleep to come. Finally, it did.

* * *

Aang sighed as he looked out from a deserted tower at a dark and stormy sky. He was at the Eastern Air Temple, gathering his thoughts. It had been a month now since he had been here, far away from everyone else. Going back home to the Southern Temple would have been too hurtful, and plus he was hoping Guru Pathik would still be here. But Aang walked into an empty temple. He was recalling how lonely he had been, but almost as if on que, Appa huffed from right behind Aang, and as he turned around, he was greeted with a big, slobbery lick.

"I know buddy, I need to cheer up." Aang said with a weak smile at his 6-legged flying bison. "It's just I am so lost right now. I have never been so lost in my life, even more than the days before my fight with Ozai." Appa flopped to the ground and exposed his purple belly, waiting for it to be rubbed. Aang walked over and rubbed Appa's tummy before continuing. "I meditated and called upon both Avatar Roku, and Avatar Kyoshi…. But Appa, neither of them had answers for me. What do I do?" Appa was busy enjoying the rubs.  
Just then, the downpour started, and the pit-pat of rain was resounding through the deserted stone temple. Momo flew in the window with a characteristic chatter, dripping wet and looking scandalized. The avatar laughed as he reached out to pet his flying lemur.  
"Weren't expecting the rain, huh, Momo?" Momo replied with some chattering. "Yeah, I know… I miss her too." The Avatar settled down onto a rock bench and let his mind wander.

Aang was now 19. He towered above Katara, still sported a bald head, and looked a lot older. He was still fun-loving and carefree, that was a part of his character that would never change, but he had become significantly more serious through the years. The problems that the world developed the 100 years he was missing did not vanish the second he defeated Ozai. Aang saw what years of oppression and hatred did to people, and it chilled his usually warm heart.  
_All I ever wanted was to be a normal guy. I never wanted all of this._ He thought with extreme sadness. _I have tried so hard to stop the hate, and change the way people think, but it is impossible. How can I restore the peace? How can I heal such a hurt world?_

Appa, Momo, and Aang all jumped when a ghostly apparition appeared in the middle of the room.

"Avatar Yangchen!" exclaimed Aang, thankful for seeing the last air nomad Avatar stand before him in her yellow robes and prayer beads. Mist emitted from her.

"Aang." She said in her deep, powerful voice. Her voice seemed to echo through the ages "Do you know why we are called 'avatar'? Avatar means we are the embodiment of a diety, the embodiment of hope, manifested into human form. We, in ourselves, are not human."  
Aang nodded, slowly beginning to understand. Yangchen continued to stare deeply into his eyes.  
"The avatar is born human so that he can understand human emotions. You must feel happiness, feel suffering, feel love… You must feel these things and understand what it means to be human, so you understand how important and vital it is to protect human life and nourish it." She raised her arm up to stop him from saying anything. "I only have a few moments before I must return to the spirit world. Aang, with every Avatar that is re-incarnated, they are more human than those before him. However, you must never forget what sets you apart, either. I did what needed to be done to keep peace in my time. Even though you might achieve it through other ways, your goal is the same. Do what needs to be done to keep the peace, Aang. You have done well so far, you will find a way to heal this."  
And with a flash of lightening, she was gone, and Aang lifted his head and mulled over what she had said.


End file.
